Many people underestimate the impact of sending a written message rather than a text or email. As parent and family program professionals, we are well aware that a card or package from home can change the course of a student’s day, week, or even semester.

As I reflect on another year of Family Weekend at the University of Houston, I am reminded of all the people on campus I am lucky enough to call campus partners who make my job (and my life) easier. In a role that has Parent and Family Programs as fifty-percent of my responsibility, I came in knowing that in order to be successful and serve parents and families effectively I would need help. In fact, my sanity depended on it! 

To meet the needs of our largest international population and serve our domestic Spanish-speaking families, the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched a variety of translated services in Chinese and Spanish, including translated websites, a phone and email service in Spanish and translated newsletter content. 

At the University of North Dakota (UND), our email newsletter is something that has been sent out monthly for many years. Parents have always appreciated the content and never complained about the format, yet the emails were simply coming through to parents as text in an email. There was no color, no photos, etc. Our Marketing and Creative Services team on campus had recently launched a weekly student email called “Student Life Weekly.” I envied how colorful it was and how much of an impact it was having on our students. Believe it or not, after conducting numerous focus groups and surveys, our students said that they prefer to receive information from UND via email. Hence, Student Life Weekly was launched.

Last spring, my student employee and I were chatting about potential parent engagement ideas. I mentioned that I thought it would be fun to create a cookbook for parents, but brushed it off as something we could think about later. The idea, however, resonated with my student, and by the next day, she had sent me a list of recipe categories and a marketing plan for our cookbooks.

The New Student Programs & Family Outreach's (NSPFO) Parent and Family Webinar Series was created this fall as a new strategy for connecting and engaging with our Oregon State parents and family members. Currently, we have completed two different sessions, recorded both, and then made them available through our website. As this was not only a new initiative for our department, but for myself, I have some tips below if you are considering creating something similar!

The purpose of this program is to engage families of Gonzaga University (GU) students in promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors and responsible decision-making related to student alcohol consumption. The program was created in response to a need to reduce risky drinking behaviors often associated with 21st birthday celebrations among GU students, and also in response to several student narratives that their parents had encouraged them not to shy away from the campus drinking culture, stating that 'it was a just normal part of life as a college student'.

Each year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison produces a calendar & handbook and provides it to incoming families at orientation, along with mailing a copy to all other families with a current undergraduate student in years 2-4. Additional family or support members may request a calendar by contacting our office. The piece meets our program goals by being inclusive, inviting and informative. It also allows us to share campus resources, points of pride and tips that help families transition into the role of a coach and a mentor. 

Based on your responses to questions posed on the AHEPPP Members Facebook Group, we have compiled a list of some of your favorite swag items!